1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-interface memory card and an adapter module; more particularly, the present invention relates to a memory card with multiple kinds of interfaces to communicate with an electronic product and a computer, respectively, for convenient data access, and an adapter module for such a multi-interface memory card.
2. Description of Related Art
Digital devices, such as electronic dictionaries, electronic translators, digital cameras, etc., are in widespread use today. The use of these digital devices requires storing of data in storage media, and generally memory cards are provided for such a purpose. As well known to those skilled in the art, various kinds of memory cards, such as the STONE card, Smart Media card, MMC card, Memory Stick card and Compact Flash card, have been provided with the advantages of compactness and large storage capacity, typically, more than several mega-bytes. The use of such memory cards enables the miniaturization of digital products. However, they do not have standard interfaces for communicating with a computer. Therefore, it is inconvenient to use a computer to read data from the memory card. Some of the existing methods to transfer data between a computer and a memory card are as follows:
1. Using a card reader: A card reader is provided to connect to an interface port of a computer such that the computer is able to read data from a memory card that is inserted in the card reader. As different memory cards have different interfaces, a dedicated card reader must be provided for a specific memory card.
2. Using a transform disk: A transform disk that has the same physical specification as the 3.5-inch disk is provided with a slot for receiving a memory card, such that a computer can write data to or read data from the memory card when the transform disk is inserted into the disk drive of the computer.
There are several problems encountered in using the aforementioned methods. For example, most of the card readers can not write data to the memory cards, and the data access speed is slow when the transform disk and disk drive are used for transferring data between a memory card and a computer. Furthermore, the use of a transform disk and disk drive to read or write data is likely to result in mechanical disorders because data is accessed by physical contact.
Moreover, the interface port provided for a computer generally depends on the requirement of the computer, and may vary according to the development of the computer industry. For example, the USB, port and IEEE 1394 interfaces have been introduced recently to provide high speed and large capacity interfacing capabilities. Clearly, if a memory card is to be used with computers with respective different interfaces, different kinds of card readers or transform devices are required, and thus it is obvious that the use of the memory card is inconvenient.
To solve the aforementioned problems, a memory card is provided in a pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/449,961 entitled xe2x80x9cDual interface memory card and adapter module for the same.xe2x80x9d Although this pending patent may effectively eliminate the drawbacks in using the card reader or transform disk, it is deemed unsatisfactory as the memory card only has one kind of interface, e.g. the USB port, to communicate with the computer. Therefore, a novel memory card that can mitigate and/or obviate the problems is desired.
The object of the present invention is to provide a multi-interface memory card and an adapter module for the memory card to conveniently transfer data between the memory card and a computer without the risk of mechanical disorders.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a multi-interface memory card is provided, which includes: a micro controller; a memory unit connected to the micro controller, such that external computers or electronic products can read data from or write data to said memory unit under the control of the micro controller; multiple connection interfaces connected to the memory unit via the micro controller for controlling data access, the connection interfaces conforming to different interface specifications; and a product interface for connecting to a digital product to read or write data.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an adapter module is provided for a multi-interface memory card having a front end formed thereon with an interface port for providing multiple connection interfaces and a product interface. The adapter module includes: a housing defining a slot for receiving the memory card; multiple interface connectors held in the housing and adapted for connecting to corresponding interface ports of a computer; and a terminal seat held in the housing, the terminal seat having a plurality of connection terminals, each having one end for facing to the interface port of the memory card, and another end connected to the multiple interface connectors.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a multi-interface memory card is provided, which includes: a micro controller; a memory unit connected to the micro controller, such that external computers or electronic products can read data from or write data to said memory unit under the control of the micro controller; a connection interface connected to the memory unit via the micro controller for controlling data access, the connection interface conforming to an IEEE 1394 interface-specification; and a product interface for connecting to a digital product to read or write data.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, an adapter module is provided for a multi-interface memory card having a front end formed thereon with an interface port for providing an IEEE 1394 interface and a host interface. The adapter module includes: a housing defining a slot for receiving the memory card; an IEEE 1394 interface connector held in the housing and adapted for connecting to a corresponding interface port of a computer; and a terminal seat held in the housing, the terminal seat having a plurality of connection terminals, each having one end for facing to the interface port of the memory card, and another end connected to the IEEE 1394 interface connector.